College

Notre Dame running back Cierre Wood, right, picks up 16 yards after getting past Wake Forest linebacker Justin Jackson (39) and defensive end Zach Thompson during the first half of an NCAA college football game in South Bend, Ind., Saturday, Nov. 17, 2012. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Against Wake Forest, the Fighting Irish reinforced his faith in his team.

Everett Golson threw three touchdown passes and Cierre Wood scored on a 68-yard run as No. 3 Notre Dame beat Wake Forest 38-0 Saturday to finish the season undefeated at home for the first time since 1998 and keep its national championship hopes alive.

"I told them tonight I'm proud of them," Kelly said. "I voted them No. 1 for a reason, because I think they're the best team in the country. I think they played like that tonight."

Kelly, who saw his 12-0 Cincinnati team left out of the BCS title game in 2009, said he has no doubt his 11-0 team deserves to play for the championship if they win the season finale at Southern California. That's all he wants his players focused on, he said.

"They cannot do anything else but beat USC," Kelly said. "The rest is up to other people to decide."

The reality of that situation is either Oregon or Kansas State — the top two teams in the BCS rankings and, separately, the AP Top 25 — will likely have to lose for Notre Dame to get a place in the championship.

Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe seemed to think the Irish have as much right as anybody to be there. "No question about it. But maybe a couple of others should be, too. That's kind of the deal right now," Grobe said.

Rutgers 10, Cincinnati 3: In Cincinnati, reserve running back Savon Huggins had a career-high 179 yards, and Rutgers' defense had another shut-down performance on Saturday for a 10-3 victory over Cincinnati that kept the 22nd-ranked Scarlet Knights in control of the Big East.

Rutgers (9-1, 5-0) remained the only unbeaten team in conference play. The Scarlet Knights finish with games at Pittsburgh and home against No. 20 Louisville, which has one Big East loss. Cincinnati is 7-3, 3-2 in the conference.

Alabama 49, Western Carolina 0: In Tuscaloosa, Ala., Western Carolina coach Mark Speir left town unhappy with the final score but pleased with the way his outmanned team battled to the finish.

The Catamounts lost 49-0 to No. 4 Alabama on Saturday in the season finale after falling behind by six touchdowns in the first half against a Southeastern Conference team still in the hunt for a national title.

Georgia 45, Georgia Southern 14: In Athens, Ga., Jerick McKinnon scored two touchdowns and Georgia Southern was in position for a shocking halftime lead on No. 5 Georgia. But the Bulldogs turned the momentum and took control from there, romping to a 45-14 victory.

Ohio State 21, Wisconsin 14: In Madison, Wis., Carlos Hyde scored on a 2-yard run in overtime Saturday, giving No. 6 Ohio State a 21-14 victory over Wisconsin and keeping the Buckeyes' hopes of a perfect season alive. The Buckeyes (11-0, 7-0) clinched the Leaders Division title outright with the win.

Florida 23, Jacksonville State 0: In Gainesville, Fla., the bad news for Jacksonville State was that it will have to start a new streak after Florida became the first team to hold the Gamecocks scoreless in 12 years. The good news is the Alabama school left town with its athletic department $500,000 richer after its 23-0 loss to the No. 7 Gators.

LSU 41, Mississippi 35: In Baton Rouge, La., Jeremy Hill scored his third touchdown with 15 seconds left to lift No. 8 LSU to a 41-35 victory over relentless but mistake-prone Mississippi on Saturday in a classic meeting between the rivals.

Florida State 41, Maryland 14: In College Park, Md. Devonta Freeman ran for 148 yards and two touchdowns, Florida State's top-ranked defense lived up to its billing and the No. 10 Seminoles rolled past Maryland 41-14 Saturday to earn a spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game. Florida State (10-1, 7-1) led 27-0 at halftime and cruised to its fifth straight victory.

Texas A&M 47, Sam Houston State 28: In College Station, Texas, Johnny Manziel threw for 267 yards and three touchdowns, and ran for 100 yards and two more scores in a bit more than a half as No. 9 Texas A&M beat Sam Houston State 47-28 Saturday.

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